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Chapter 7: Things Are Now In Motion...
"We must move swiftly," Elrohir said as he looked out of the cave. "They will be upon us soon enough." "We make for Rivendell." Elladan agreed. "Follow us. There is a faster way out of these hills and on to the plains." As the twins darted out of the cave, Faêrynell, Gaerdir and Boendal mused over what should be done with Afran's body. The ranger cloaked her comrade and hid him from view, whispering "You will be found by friendly eyes, my friend. May you be at peace." With that, the three followed the elves with the merchant. Running through the hills downwards, the group soon found themselves on the open plains in the direction of Rivendell. The twins in front were closely followed by Gaerdir then the merchant and then by the Dúnedain who held her sword behind her captive, and behind was the dwarf, panting and stumbling. They ran across the plains for what seemed like an age, reaching the banks of a shallow river that had a small piece of land in it. Ahead were the eaves of a wood, but on turning to look behind them, the group saw a number of orcs bestriding wargs racing towards them. Gaerdir, taken aback by how quickly they were gaining on his group, heard the sounds of a horse coming from the direction they were heading. As the group stood on the small island, they heard a deep, feminine voice cry out "Noro lím, Asfaloth! Noro lím!" Suddenly, darting out of the trees and towards them, appeared a white horse with an elf maiden brandishing her sword. She rode to the river and Asfaloth reared high as they stood in between the group and the incoming warg riders. "Keep going." the rider said. "They are not far behind." Gaerdir stood in awe at the dark-haired elf. "Thank you, my lady. May the blessings of the Moon be upon you." The group ran further and were greeted by more horseriders coming from the trees: Glorfindel, Rainor, Ferwyn, Merileth and Suka. "Who is this man?" Glorfindel asked as he approached. "Lymriel, my captive." the Dúnedain replied. "He must not be let out of sight. He has information we seek." "Give him to me. I shall not let him go." The ranger pondered for a second, then gave him to Glorfindel, who grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and placed him on his horse in front of him, before riding off. She then grabbed the dwarf, who resented being handled and lifted, and placed him on Suka's horse, and she promptly jumped on Merileth's as Gaerdir went with Ferwyn and the merchant with Rainor. "Go, friends." Elladan motioned them to follow Glorfindel. "We will make it on foot." "We must help our sister." Elrohir added. The horses galloped away as the group saw the daughter of Elrond shout at the incoming riders. "I am the daughter of Elrond of Rivendell. I am worth more to you than those you chase!" The horse then followed the river south, followed by the wargs, with the twins in hot pursuit. The last the group heard before going through the woods was the elf maiden's voice booming "The Mitheithel will consume you all!" Eventually the group returned to the safe valley of Imladris, having caught up with one another on what had passed. Gaerdir, upon dismounting, immediately asked about Alhyel's funeral, and if Lymriel could be taken to Elrond. "Lord Elrond left Imladris for Lothlórien." Glorfindel replied. "Alhyel will be sent down the river and out to the sea in the morning. I suggest you all rest, for you are weary from your travels and ordeals. I will take this prisoner to our holding cells and, if you desire, Dúnedain, you may question him tomorrow." "I will." she said defiantly. "I would like you and Merileth to be with me, Glorfindel." Glorfindel nodded and dragged Lymriel away, as everyone was shown to their beds for a restful night's sleep with the exception of Suka, who slept under a tree. Come the morning, the chimes of bells could be heard and Suka saw from his mossy bed elves in a procession, carrying the body of Alhyel on a wooden plank. He bowed in respect and watched it go down to the river. The rest of the group stood on the riverbank, apart from the Lossoth and the dwarf. They watched as Glorfindel lead the procession, followed by the elf maiden who distracted the wargs, and then by her twin brothers behind Alhyel. They laid the body in an elegant, white boat that awaited the Bruínen to carry it away. Glorfindel said a few words in Elvish, before turning to Gaerdir and Merileth. "You brought her back to us, and you were her friend. Is there anything you wish to say?" Merileth stepped forward. "May the moon light your way to the halls of the Valar, my friend." Gaerdir hesitated for a moment, and then placed an amulet in her hands and muttered something to himself. He stood back to let Glorfindel speak again, and as he spoke Elvish softly, the water rose slightly, and the boat carrying Alhyel took off, down the river and out of sight. As the procession left, Gaerdir was approached by Suka, who tried his best to communicate in the Common Tongue. "Good boats... Lovely boats. Lossoth boats crude. How?" Gaerdir smiled and said "I will show you how." He went for Dringol, and brought supplies, and the three, watched by Ferwyn, started crafting a boat by the river. The ranger saw the merchant among the crowd and went over to him. "My friend, I have something to ask you." she smiled. "But I do not know your name." "I am Oswyn." the older man replied. "If I can aid you in any way, I will." "You mentioned that you were a trader... of what?" "Whatever I come across really. Is that what you wished to know?" "No, Oswyn. I want to know if you heard what my ranger kin were talking about in Mount Gram?" "I am afraid not. I tended to keep to myself. But... I did hear the Gladden discussed." "Thank you, my friend. I believe you have helped." Oswyn watched as Glorfindel and Merileth came to lead the ranger away, happy he could be of service. Boendal, meanwhile, wandered Rivendell and thought of the riches that lay there. He wandered round what he learned to be Elrond's house, which was guarded at the front door, and found a window around the back that was opened. He ably climbed in and saw an elf facing away from him at a table on the far side of the room, pouring over books and manuscripts. Stealthily, he wandered up the stairs and saw on display a number of bejewelled rings and amulets. Pocketing a ring with a green jewel in it, he heard the elf coming up the stairs. The thief ran to the nearest door and found himself on a balcony above the two front door guards. Thinking quickly upon hearing the elf was approaching, the dwarf climbed around the side of the building to a window and dropped to the ground with a thud, which alerted one of the guards to his position. "What are you doing, dwarf?" the guard asked suspiciously. "Oh, you know..." Boendal started. "I was wandering around and just had a little tumble." The elf remained suspicious but allowed Boendal to further wander, as the dwarf nestled his new prize in his beard. Elsewhere, the Dúnedain was taken by Glorfindel and Merileth to the cell which held Lymriel. Down and down into the bowels of Rivendell they went, until Glorfindel unlocked a cell door that held Lymriel, tied to a chair. "Ah," Lymriel drawled. "My niece has come to interrogate me for what I know." "Actually, I know where we should go, uncle." she replied. "I just wanted to watch you squirm before I kill you." In her head, she heard Glorfindel's words "You have the right to do so, but be sure you have what you need from him." Lymriel laughed. "You think I am frightened by you, Mistanith?" "Let me make this clear for you... Tell us everything you know and gain a single ounce of respect from me, or do not, and die. I know what we seek is at the Gladden." "Then indeed I am of no use to you. Kill me then. Let me join the vermin that brought you up." "You go too far. Where is my mother?" "Why do you care now?" Lymriel snarled. "You broke her heart. You chose to stay with the filth you call your fathers. Like them, you are a disease to be purged. Nothing more. I am glad I was the one who ended their miserable lives, knowing they would squirm like the rodents they were..." The Dúnedain had heard enough and in lightning-fast fashion ran her sword across Lymriel's throat. The three watched as Lymriel's body slowly and painfully went limp. "Glorfindel," the ranger coldly began. "We must send a message to Galor, telling him to send scouts to the Ettenmoors and recover Afran's body from the cave we were in." Glorfindel nodded as Merileth put her hand on her shoulder. "Faêrynell..." she comforted. The Dúnedain dropped her sword and with a steely expression said "I have no need of this sword now. It has served its purpose." She turned to go, seeking comfort in Elvish wine, and boldly stated "My name is Mistanith." Gaerdir and Suka, with help from Ferwyn, had finally constructed a sturdy boat as Merileth came to notify them of what had happened. In the hours that had passed, Gaerdir and Suka had left Rivendell to find fur material for their boat, against the advice of Rivendell guards. They had come across one roaming ferocious warg, and after Glorfindel had been notified and had rode out to bring them back, successfully killed and skinned said warg. Glorfindel was not impressed, but after Merileth had informed them, Gaerdir took her to the forge and they helped craft a new sword imbued with a spell. The night came and all rested and ate well. Come the dawn, Glorfindel gathered all in the courtyard. Boendal eyed the guard who had been following him suspiciously before, as he whispered in Glorfindel's ear. "It is curious that a dwarven thief comes to Imladris the day one of Lord Elrond's rings vanishes... What say you?" "Oh..." Boendal mumbled. "I don't know anything about that. I was just minding my own business." The group replied that they could vouch for him as a good dwarf. Glorfindel stared at the dwarf who, in his gesturing motions, had a bejewelled ring fall out from his beard. Yet again, Glorfindel was unimpressed. "Some of you leave this valley against better judgement for your own desires while others of you steal from your hosts." The group looked sheepish. "I hope that your judgement is better in the days to come." Glorfindel threw a coinpurse at the dwarf. "For your troubles, and to prevent you stealing from us again." The dwarf bowed nervously as the group looked apologetic. "We assure this will never happen again." Mistanith glared at the dwarf. "Now, you must go. Find this Blue Wizard you spoke of." Oswyn appeared, ready to leave. "If it is the Gladden you seek, there is a pass through the mountains that leads to it. I have used it before, and I will show you the way, if you protect me from any creatures the Misty Mountains is home to." The group nodded in agreement. "Duvaindir knows the routes of the Misty Mountains well." Glorfindel said. "He and Merileth have already left to scout ahead and will wait for you at the end of the pass. If war is coming, we need all the help and allies we can muster. While you venture out on your own, always know that we are here to help you." The group thanked Glorfindel and, following Oswyn, travelled a few hours until they reached the Misty Mountains and the Gladden Pass.